Drag-based content selection technique for touch screen UI

ABSTRACT

Techniques are disclosed for providing a content selecting mode in electronic touch screen devices. The content may be, for instance, text, graphics, images, files, and/or other consumable content. The user can engage the mode with a combination of gestures and touch points on the touch screen. The combination may include, for example, one or two initial touch points at a desired starting location of the target content, followed by a dragging gesture with two or more touch points moving from that location to the desired end location of the target content, wherein content between the starting and end locations is highlighted or otherwise selected. In one example case, if the initial touch includes multiple touch points then selecting of the target content may commence immediately, while a single initial touch point causes selecting to commence after a brief hold or the addition of another touch point at the starting location.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates to electronic display devices, and moreparticularly, to user interface (UI) techniques for interacting withtouch screen devices.

BACKGROUND

Electronic display devices such as tablets, eReaders, mobile phones,smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other such touchscreen electronic display devices are commonly used for displayingconsumable content. The content may be, for example, an eBook, an onlinearticle or blog, images, a movie or video, a map, just to name a fewtypes. Such display devices are also useful for displaying a userinterface that allows a user to interact with an application running onthe device. The user interface may include, for example, one or moretouch screen controls and/or one or more displayed labels thatcorrespond to nearby hardware buttons. The touch screen display may bebacklit or not, and may be implemented for instance with an LED screenor an electrophoretic display. Such devices may also include other touchsensitive surfaces, such as a track pad (e.g., capacitive or resistivetouch sensor) or touch sensitive housing (e.g., acoustic sensor).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1 a-b illustrate an example electronic touch screen device havinga content selection mode configured in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIGS. 1 c-d illustrate example configuration screen shots of the userinterface of the electronic touch screen device shown in FIGS. 1 a-b,configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 a illustrates a block diagram of an electronic touch screendevice configured in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 b illustrates a block diagram of a communication system includingthe electronic touch screen device of FIG. 2 b, configured in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3 a-c illustrate an example content selection mode of anelectronic touch screen device, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 c′ illustrates an example content selection mode of an electronictouch screen device, in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 4 a-e illustrate an example content selection mode of anelectronic touch screen device, in accordance with another embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method for providing a content selection mode in anelectronic touch screen device, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Techniques are disclosed for providing a content selection mode inelectronic touch screen devices. The content may be, for instance, text,graphics, images, files, and/or other consumable content. The user canengage the mode with a combination of gestures and multiple touch pointson the touch screen. The combination may include, for example, one ortwo initial touch points at a desired starting location of the targetcontent, followed by a dragging gesture with two or more touch pointsmoving from the starting location to the desired end location of thetarget content, wherein content between the starting and end locationsis highlighted or otherwise selected. In one example case, if theinitial touch includes two or more touch points then selecting of thetarget content may commence immediately, while a single initial touchpoint causes selecting to commence after a brief hold or the addition ofanother touch point at the starting location.

General Overview

As previously explained, electronic display devices such as tablets,eReaders, and smart phones are commonly used for displaying userinterfaces and consumable content. The user of such devices cantypically consume the displayed content with relative ease. In someinstances, the user may wish to select a portion of the given contentfor the purpose of copying that portion to a so-called clip board sothat it can subsequently be pasted into another document. Whileavailable content selection techniques are commonly provided with touchscreen devices for such purposes, such techniques require the user todrag a handle or other such user interface feature from the startlocation to the desired end location. Moreover, such drag-basedtechniques seemingly do not allow for the selection to continue across apage break. In this sense, the user is required to carry out multipleselection actions, depending on the number of pages over which thetarget content spans.

Thus, and in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,content selection techniques are disclosed for use in electronic touchscreen devices. The content may include, for example, text, graphics,images, folders/files, embedded audio and/or video files, and/or anyother consumable content. The user can engage the mode with acombination of gestures and multiple touch points on the touch screenthat identifies the content selection mode is desired. The combinationmay include, for example, one or two initial touch points at a desiredstarting location of the target content, followed by a dragging gesturewith two or more touch points from the starting location to the desiredend location of the target content. The content between the starting andend locations is highlighted or otherwise selected so as to allow theuser to operate on that selected content. The selected content mayintuitively also include the pieces of contacted content correspondingto the start and end locations, but need not if so desired.

In one specific example embodiment, if the initial touch includes two(or more) touch points, then the selecting may commence immediatelywithout delay. In one such example case, the initial target piece ofcontent at the start location is automatically and immediately selected,and any subsequent dragging of the two (or more) touch points causes theselecting to advance (or retreat, as the case may be) in real-time andin unison with the drag point movement to select (or de-select, as thecase may be) a contiguous block of content. The initial target piece ofcontent may be, for example, a word, graphic, image, file, folder, orother individually selectable (touchable) piece of displayed digitalcontent. Such accentuating of the initial target piece of content can beused to visually inform the user that the initial touch point of acontent selection action is in place, which may be helpful to the user.In other example embodiments, the targeted content may be highlighted orotherwise selected all at once after release of the dragging gesturetouch points from the piece of target content at the end location.

On the other hand, if the initial touch includes a single touch point,then the selecting of the piece of content at that starting point mayoccur after a brief delay or as soon as additional touch points areadded. In some cases, the user may choose to add the additional touchpoints after the target piece of content at the starting location ishighlighted or otherwise selected. In such cases, the delay fromapplication of the initial touch and hold point to highlighting may beuser-configurable or a pre-established delay time (e.g., 2 to 4seconds). In any such single point cases, the user can continue with thecontent selection process by adding one or more touch points and movingthose touch point along the content in the desired direction ofselecting. As previously explained, the dragging gesture may causeselecting to advance (or retreat, as the case may be) in real-time andin unison with the drag point movement to select (or de-select, as thecase may be) a contiguous block of content. Alternatively, the targetedcontent may be highlighted all at once after release of the dragginggesture touch points. As will be appreciated, the term ‘highlighted’ asused herein refers to content being selected, and does not necessarilymean that a formatting change to the content has been executed. Forinstance, content can be selected/highlighted, and then a formattingchange (e.g., bolding and/or color) can be executed on that selectedcontent. In this sense, highlighting may refer to, for example, anyindication of a content selection, which may or may not include aformatting change.

The selected content may be within a single continuous block ofdisplayed content on a given page, or may traverse section breaks orcolumn breaks within a given page, depending on the progression of themulti-touch drag point. Likewise, the selected content may traverse anynumber of page breaks as needed, depending on the progression of themulti-touch drag point. In such multi-page selection scenarios, anintervening navigational gesture may be presumed when the drag pointreaches a page break thereby causing navigation to the next logical pageof content so that the selection process may continue in a seamless anduninterrupted fashion, in accordance with some embodiments of thepresent invention. In some such cases, the user interface may beprogrammed or otherwise configured, for example, to temporarilyre-categorize or otherwise treat a multi-point dragging gesture thatreaches a page break area as a swiping navigation gesture. As themulti-point dragging gesture rests on the page break, a next page isdisplayed and fully selected after a brief delay (e.g., 2 to 4 seconds).When the user moves the multiple touch points off of the page break areaand back into a currently displayed page, dragging gesture functionalityresumes and the user can then adjust the drag-based content selectionwithin that page as described herein. As will be further appreciated inlight of this disclosure, the user may select multiple non-contiguoussections of content if so desired (e.g., select a first section usingfirst and second contact points, then a second section using first andsecond contact points, etc). In such cases, the selected sections canstay selected until the user affirmatively exits the content selectionmode.

Note that the second piece of content at the end location is differentthan the first piece of content at the start location. Further note thatthe second piece of content may be logically located either above orbelow the first piece of content (or to the left or right of the firstpiece of content), within the overall given structure of the content.The selecting is respectful of the content structure and natural flow ofthe consumption path, and only content between (and including) the startand end locations is selected, in accordance with some embodiments. Insome cases, the selected content can be indicated with a color changeassociated with the selected block, and/or with brackets or handles orvirtual bookends or dashed outlining, or with other visual indicatorsthat identify or otherwise accentuate the block of selected content. Theuser may configure such features, in some embodiments. In otherembodiments, such features may be provisioned by default or hard-coded.Any number of such techniques can be used to provide the user with avisual indicator of the selected content, as will be appreciated inlight of this disclosure.

Once selected, the user can then operate on the selection, in accordancewith some embodiments. For example, the user can execute acopy-and-paste operation (e.g., via control-c and control-p keystrokes,or via ‘copy’ and ‘paste’ button presses) so that the selected portionof content is copied to the device clip board so that it cansubsequently be pasted into another location/document. Likewise, theuser can execute a cut-and-move operation (e.g., via control-x andcontrol-p keystrokes, or via ‘cut’ and ‘paste’ button presses) so thatthe selected portion of content is removed to the device clip board sothat it can subsequently be pasted into another location/document. Insome such embodiments, copy, cut, and paste UI press-button features canbe displayed to the user via the touch screen to facilitate suchcopying, cutting, and pasting by the user. In another exampleembodiment, the user can apply a formatting change to the selectedportion, such as a change in font or pitch or color with respect toselected text, or a change from color to black-and-white or grayscalewith respect to selected images, etc. In another example embodiment, theuser can apply a security change to the selected portion, such as achange in access permissions with respect to selected files or folders,etc. In another example embodiment, the user can perform a dictionarylook-up or search based on the selected content. In a more generalsense, once the content is selected, any number of post-selectionactions can then be applied to that selection content. In still otherexample embodiments, the user may wish to simply highlight the selectedportion of content to make it easier to see or find within the document.In any such cases, any number of suitable UI control features (e.g.,copy/cut/paste/format UI press-buttons) can be provided to the user,depending on the given context and application in which the user isoperating, as well as capabilities of the device. In some embodiments,an ‘exit’ UI press-button feature can also be displayed (or theequivalent thereof), which the user can tap or otherwise engage to endthe content selection operation. Such example UI control features can bedisplayed automatically to user once the content is selected, inaccordance with some embodiments.

Given the global nature and/or uniqueness of the engagement mechanism,in accordance with some embodiments, the content selection mode can besimilarly invoked within multiple diverse applications (e.g., eBook,browser, picture viewer, file manager, etc) and without conflicting withother global gestures that might also be used by the device's operatingsystem. While some example embodiments include an initial touch of oneor two points followed by a two point dragging gesture, otherembodiments may include a different scheme (e.g., single point touch tostart followed by a three point dragging gesture, or a three point touchto start followed by a three point dragging gesture, etc). In a moregeneral sense, any uniquely identifiable combination of touch points anddragging gestures can be used to engage a seamless and uninterruptedcontent selecting mode, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The uniqueness of the touch point/drag scheme may be based,for example, on the number of touch points simultaneously providedand/or the nature of the touch (e.g., a quick initial tap followed by adrag, a press-and-hold for a predetermined duration followed by a drag,a sequence of taps followed by a drag, an initial swipe followed by adrag, an initial circular and/or elliptical gestures followed by a drag,etc). As will be further appreciated, the uniqueness of the touchpoint/drag scheme may exist, for example, at the global level or theapplication level.

The techniques allow for content selecting in a relatively fast,efficient, and intuitive manner, so that the user can seamlessly andselectively engage and/or disengage the content selecting mode withoutdisrupting the consumption experience, in accordance with someembodiments. In some such cases, the user can move the dragging gesturein either direction to advance or retreat the selected section, withouthaving to be on a specific drag zone. The touch point and dragginggestures may be provided by the user's fingers or any suitableimplement, such as a stylus.

Architecture and Applications

FIGS. 1 a-b illustrate an example electronic touch screen device havinga content selecting mode configured in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. The device could be, for example, a tablet suchas the NOOK® Tablet or NOOK® eReader by Barnes & Noble. In a moregeneral sense, the device may be any electronic device having a touchscreen user interface and capability for displaying content to a user,such as a mobile phone or mobile computing device such as a tablet orlaptop, a desktop computing system, a television, a smart displayscreen, or any other device having a touch screen display. As will beappreciated, the claimed invention is not intended to be limited to anyparticular kind or type of electronic device.

As can be seen with this example configuration, the device comprises ahousing that includes a number of hardware features such as a powerbutton and a press-button (sometimes called a home button herein). Atouch screen based user interface is also provided, which in thisexample embodiment includes a quick navigation menu having six maincategories to choose from (Home, Library, Shop, Search, Light, andSettings) and a status bar that includes a number of icons (anight-light icon, a wireless network icon, and a book icon), a batteryindicator, and a clock. Other embodiments may have fewer or additionalsuch UI touch screen controls and features, or different UI touch screencontrols and features altogether, depending on the target application ofthe device. Any such general UI controls and features can be implementedusing any suitable conventional or custom technology, as will beappreciated.

The power button can be used to turn the device on and off, and may beused in conjunction with a touch-based UI control feature that allowsthe user to confirm a given power transition action request (e.g., suchas a slide bar or tap point graphic to turn power off). In this exampleconfiguration, the home button is a physical press-button that can beused as follows: when the device is awake and in use, tapping the buttonwill display the quick navigation menu, which is a toolbar that providesquick access to various features of the device. The home button may alsobe configured to cease an active function that is currently executing onthe device, such as a content selecting mode as described herein. Thebutton may further control other functionality if, for example, the userpresses and holds the home button. For instance, an example suchpush-and-hold function could engage a power conservation routine wherethe device is put to sleep or an otherwise lower power consumption mode.So, a user could grab the device by the button, press and keep holdingas the device was stowed into a bag or purse. One physical gesture thatwould safely put the device to sleep. Thus, in such an exampleembodiment, the home button may be associated with and control differentand unrelated actions: 1) show the quick navigation menu; 2) exit thecontent selecting mode, but keep the page being read or otherwiseconsumed displayed (e.g., so that another mode can be entered, if sodesired); and 3) put the device to sleep. Numerous other configurationsand variations will be apparent in light of this disclosure, and theclaimed invention is not intended to be limited to any particular set ofhardware buttons or features, or device form factor.

As can be further seen, the status bar may also include a book icon(upper left corner). In some such cases, the user can access a sub-menuthat provides access to a content selecting mode configuration sub-menuby tapping the book icon of the status bar. For example, upon receivingan indication that the user has touched the book icon, the device canthen display the multi-touch content selecting mode configurationsub-menu shown in FIG. 1 d. In other cases, tapping the book icon justprovides bibliographic information on the content being consumed.Another example way for the user to access a content selecting modeconfiguration sub-menu such as the one shown in FIG. 1 d is to tap orotherwise touch the Settings option in the quick navigation menu, whichcauses the device to display the general sub-menu shown in FIG. 1 c.From this general sub-menu the user can select any one of a number ofoptions, including one designated Screen/UI in this specific examplecase. Selecting this sub-menu item (with an appropriately placed screentap) may cause the content selecting mode configuration sub-menu of FIG.1 d to be displayed, in accordance with an embodiment. In other exampleembodiments, selecting the Screen/UI option may present the user with anumber of additional sub-options, one of which may include a contentselecting mode option, which may then be selected by the user so as tocause the content selecting mode configuration sub-menu of FIG. 1 d tobe displayed. Any number of such menu schemes and nested hierarchies canbe used, as will be appreciated in light of this disclosure.

As will be appreciated, the various UI control features and sub-menusdisplayed to the user are implemented as UI touch screen controls inthis example embodiment. Such UI touch screen controls can be programmedor otherwise configured using any number of conventional or customtechnologies. In general, the touch screen translates the user touch ina given location into an electrical signal which is then received andprocessed by the underlying operating system (OS) and circuitry(processor, etc). Additional example details of the underlying OS andcircuitry in accordance with some embodiments will be discussed in turnwith reference to FIG. 2 a.

As previously explained, and with further reference to FIGS. 1 c and 1d, once the Settings sub-menu is displayed (FIG. 1 c), the user can thenselect the Screen/UI option. In response to such a selection, thecontent selecting mode configuration sub-menu shown in FIG. 1 d can beprovided to the user. In this example case, the content selecting modeconfiguration sub-menu includes a UI check box that when checked orotherwise selected by the user, effectively enables the contentselecting mode (shown in the enabled state); unchecking the box disablesthe mode. Other embodiments may have the content selecting mode alwaysenabled, or enabled by a physical switch or button, for example. Theuser can configure a number of features with respect to the contentselecting mode, in some cases. Other embodiments are not configurable.

In this example embodiment, once the content selecting mode is enabled,the user can choose the type of contact desired for each of the initialand drag touch points that will be used to select the target content.For instance, in the example configuration shown, each of the initialand drag touch points is set via a pull-down menu, with the ‘InitialTouch’ point set to a press-and-hold single touch point (P&H_(—)1) andthe ‘Drag’ touch points set to two. An example set of initial touchpoint choices that can be offered by the initial touch point pull-downmenu is provided in Table 1. As will be appreciated, numerous variationswill be apparent in light of this

TABLE 1 Example Initial Touch Point Choices Choice Type P&H_1 Singletouch point press-and-hold, on target piece of content P&H_2 Doubletouch point press-and-hold, on target piece of content P&H_3 Tripletouch point press-and-hold, on target piece of content Diagonal_1 Singletouch point diagonal swipe thru target piece of content Diagonal_2Double touch point diagonal swipe thru target piece of contentCircular_1 Single touch point circle around/thru target piece of contentdisclosure. The provided contact can be on the target piece of content(press-and-hold touch point), or can pass thru the target piece ofcontent (mini-swipe/diagonal or rotating gesture touch point), or someother contact that at least partially touches the target piece ofcontent. In any such cases, the initial touch point gesture transitionsto the drag gesture, with or without delay, depending on the number ofinitial touch points, in accordance with an embodiment. In one examplesuch embodiment, only a single touch point press-and-hold gesture needbe associated with a delay (e.g., 3 seconds) so as to distinguish itfrom other single touch point press-and-hold gestures associated withother functions. This initial delay may be user-configurable as shown inthe example of FIG. 1 d, and may be grayed out or set to zero when notneeded as a qualifier. For instance, a double or triple touch pointpress-and-hold gesture is more unique and may therefore not need to befurther qualified or otherwise distinguished. With further reference toTable 1, a diagonal gesture thru the initial target piece of content canalso be provided with any number of touches (e.g., 1 finger swipe, 2finger swipe, . . . , etc), and then readily transition into the draggesture. Likewise, a circular gesture can also pass thru the targetpiece of content and may be provided with any number of touches (e.g., 1finger, 2 finger, . . . , etc). As will be further appreciated, amulti-touch initial touch point may cause not only the target piece ofcontent to be selected, but may also select neighboring content giventhe broadness of the touch, in some embodiments. In some suchembodiments, multiple touch points can be analyzed to identify acentroid of a given multi-touch cluster, and the piece of contentclosest to that centroid can be initially selected. In some suchembodiments, the user can mini-drag the multi-touch cluster over thetarget piece of content until that target piece of content isselected/highlighted, and then transition to the drag gesture tofinalize the initial touch point placement and continue with theselecting. Numerous configuration or implementation schemes that allowfor a content selection mode that can be globally and/or uniquelyactivated as needed and without conflicting with other UI touch screencommands/gestures supported by the device will be apparent in light ofthis disclosure. Another example of user-configurable functionalitywould be to allow selection of non-contiguous blocks (e.g., via a UIcheck box or other suitable mechanism), although other embodiments mayhard-code such functionality. Further note that styluses or otherimplements may also be used to provide the initial and dragging touchpoints as well, and the claimed invention is not intended to be limitedto any particular manner of causing the various touch points.

In the example embodiment of FIG. 2 d, the user is further allowed toenable multi-section or multi-page selection operations, by selectingyes (Y) with respect to the ‘Multiple sections/pages’ UI feature. Inother embodiments, such a feature may be enabled by default (i.e., noconfiguration needed). As can be further seen, the user may also enablehighlighting of the initial touch point, by selecting yes (Y) withrespect to the provisioned ‘Highlight Initial Touch’ UI feature. In suchcases, the target piece of content will be highlighted or otherwiseselected, for example, after a predetermined delay (e.g., if a singleinitial touch point), or immediately (e.g., if multiple or otherwiseunique initial touch point). In other cases, only a sound effect isgiven as an indication that the initial touch point has been received.In still other embodiments, both aural and visual cues are provided tomake that indication. Note, however, that such cues/indications need notbe given in all embodiments. Numerous variations and configurations willbe apparent in light of this disclosure.

With further reference to the example embodiment of FIG. 1 d, the usermay also specify a color scheme with respect to the selected content.For instance, the user can select a transparent background color thatwill effectively encapsulate the selected content, and an opaquebackground color that will effectively obfuscate the non-selectedcontent. The selected color scheme can be shown in a UI feature such asa divided square as shown (one half is transparent color/one half isopaque color). Other embodiments may automatically apply a giventransparent color to the selected content without doing anything tonon-selected content, or outline the selected content with a dashed lineor other border, for example. Another embodiment may be configured togray-out or otherwise soften unselected content. Numerous highlightingschemes can be used, and the claimed invention is not intended to belimited to any particular one.

With further reference to FIG. 1 d, the user may also enable ade-selection gesture by selecting yes (Y) with respect to the‘De-selection Gesture’ UI feature. In such cases, the selected contentwill stay selected until the user executes the de-selection gesture. Forexample, the user may de-select the selected content by pressing thehome button, or tapping the touch screen in a specific area or over theselected content. In another example case, the user may de-select theselected content by executing a more complex specific gesture (which mayor may not be user-configurable), such as a counter-clockwise circulargesture with two fingers, or a two finger diagonal swipe having anegative slope (from the upper left to lower right). Other embodimentsmay deselect the selected content after the user carries out apost-selection action. Numerous such suitable de-selection schemes canbe used, and the claimed invention is not intended to be limited to anyparticular one. As will be appreciated, such affirmative de-selectionenables selection of non-contiguous sections of content, such thatselected sections of content stay selected as other sections aresubsequently selected as well.

With further reference to the example embodiment of FIG. 1 d, the usermay also specify a number of applications in which the content selectingmode can be invoked. Such a configuration feature may be helpful, forinstance, in a tablet or laptop or other multifunction computing devicethat can execute different applications (as opposed to a device that ismore or less dedicated to a particular application). In this examplecase, the available applications are provided along with a correspondingcheck box. Note the diverse nature of the example applications,including an eBook application, a photo viewing application, a browserapplication, a file manager application, a word processor application, adocument viewer application, which are just a few examples. In otherembodiments, the content selecting mode can be invoked whenever theinitial and drag points are provided in the context of displayed contentthat is selectable, regardless of the application being used. Any numberof applications or device functions may benefit from a content selectingmode as provided herein, whether user-configurable or not, and theclaimed invention is not intended to be limited to any particularapplication or set of applications.

As can be further seen, a back button arrow UI control feature may beprovisioned on the touch screen for any of the menus provided, so thatthe user can go back to the previous menu, if so desired. Note thatconfiguration settings provided by the user can be saved automatically(e.g., user input is saved as selections are made or otherwiseprovided). Alternatively, a save button or other such UI feature can beprovisioned, which the user can engage as desired. Again, while FIGS. 1c and d show user configurability, other embodiments may not allow forany such configuration, wherein the various features provided arehard-coded or otherwise provisioned by default. The degree ofhard-coding versus user-configurability can vary from one embodiment tothe next, and the claimed invention is not intended to be limited to anyparticular configuration scheme of any kind.

FIG. 2 a illustrates a block diagram of an electronic touch screendevice configured in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. As can be seen, this example device includes a processor,random access memory (RAM), additional storage/memory, a communicationsmodule, a touch screen, and an audio module. A communications bus andinterconnect is also provided to allow inter-device communication. Othertypical componentry and functionality not reflected in the block diagramwill be apparent (e.g., battery, co-processor, etc). The touch screenand underlying circuitry is capable of translating a user's physicalcontact with the screen into an electronic signal that can bemanipulated or otherwise used to trigger a specific user interfaceaction, such as those provided herein. The principles provided hereinequally apply to any such touch sensitive devices. For ease ofdescription, examples are provided with touch screen technology.

In this example embodiment, the RAM includes a number of modules storedtherein that can be accessed and executed by the processor (and/or aco-processor). The modules include an operating system (OS), a userinterface (UI), and a power conservation routine (Power). The modulescan be implemented, for example, in any suitable programming language(e.g., C, C++, objective C, JavaScript, custom or proprietaryinstruction sets, etc), and encoded on a machine readable medium, thatwhen executed by the processor (and/or co-processors), carries out thefunctionality of the device including a UI having a content selectingmode as variously described herein. Other embodiments can beimplemented, for instance, with gate-level logic or anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or chip set or other suchpurpose built logic, or a microcontroller having input/output capability(e.g., inputs for receiving user inputs and outputs for directing othercomponents) and a number of embedded routines for carrying out thedevice functionality. In short, the functional modules can beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

The processor can be any suitable processor (e.g., 800 MHz TexasInstruments OMAP3621 applications processor), and may include one ormore co-processors or controllers to assist in device control. In thisexample case, the processor receives input from the user, includinginput from or otherwise derived from the power button and the homebutton. The processor can also have a direct connection to a battery sothat it can perform base level tasks even during sleep or low powermodes. The RAM can be any suitable type of memory and size (e.g., 256 or512 Mbytes SDRAM), and in other embodiments may be implemented withnon-volatile memory or a combination of non-volatile and volatile memorytechnologies. The storage can also be implemented with any suitablememory and size (e.g., 2 GBytes of flash memory). The display can beimplemented, for example, with a 6-inch E-ink Pearl 800×600 pixel screenwith Neonode® zForce® touchscreen, or any other suitable display andtouchscreen interface technology. The communications module can be, forinstance, any suitable 802.11 b/g/n WLAN chip or chip set, which allowsfor connection to a local network so that content can be downloaded tothe device from a remote location (e.g., content provider, etc,depending on the application of the display device). In some specificexample embodiments, the device housing that contains all the variouscomponentry measures about 6.5″ high by about 5″ wide by about 0.5″thick, and weighs about 6.9 ounces. Any number of suitable form factorscan be used, depending on the target application (e.g., laptop, desktop,mobile phone, etc). The device may be smaller, for example, forsmartphone and tablet applications and larger for smart computer monitorand laptop applications.

The operating system (OS) module can be implemented with any suitableOS, but in some example embodiments is implemented with Google AndroidOS or Linux OS or Microsoft OS or Apple OS. As will be appreciated inlight of this disclosure, the techniques provided herein can beimplemented on any such platforms. The power management (Power) modulecan be configured as typically done, such as to automatically transitionthe device to a low power consumption or sleep mode after a period ofnon-use. A wake-up from that sleep mode can be achieved, for example, bya physical button press and/or a touch screen swipe or other action. Theuser interface (UI) module can be, for example, based on touchscreentechnology and the various example screen shots shown in FIGS. 1 a-d and3 a-c′, and 4 a-e in conjunction with the content selecting modemethodologies demonstrated in FIG. 5, which will be discussed in turn.The audio module can be configured, for example, to speak or otherwiseaurally present a selected eBook or other textual content, if preferredby the user. Numerous commercially available text-to-speech modules canbe used, such as Verbose text-to-speech software by NCH Software. Insuch audio-based cases, note that the content selecting techniques asdescribed herein can be used to select the textual content to beconverted to audio, for instance. In some example cases, if additionalspace is desired, for example, to store digital books or other contentand media, storage can be expanded via a microSD card or other suitablememory expansion technology (e.g., 32 GBytes, or higher).

Client-Server System

FIG. 2 b illustrates a block diagram of a communication systemconfigured in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Ascan be seen, the system generally includes an electronic touch screendevice (such as the one in FIG. 2 a) that is capable of communicatingwith a server via a network/cloud. In this example embodiment, theelectronic touch screen device may be, for example, an eBook reader, amobile cell phone, a laptop, a tablet, desktop, or any other touchsensitive computing device. The network/cloud may be a public and/orprivate network, such as a private local area network operativelycoupled to a wide area network such as the Internet. In this exampleembodiment, the server may be programmed or otherwise configured toreceive content requests from a user via the touch screen device and torespond to those requests by providing the user with requested orotherwise recommended content. Is some such embodiments, the server isconfigured to remotely provision a content selecting mode as providedherein to the touch screen device (e.g., via JavaScript or other browserbased technology). In other embodiments, portions of the contentselecting methodology are executed on the server and other portions ofthe methodology are executed on the device. Numerousserver-side/client-side execution schemes can be implemented tofacilitate a content selecting mode in accordance with an embodiment, aswill be apparent in light of this disclosure.

Content Select Mode Examples

FIGS. 3 a-c collectively illustrate an example content selecting modethat can be applied to a touch sensitive display of an electronicdevice, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Inthis example case, the targeted content selection is on the same page,and within a continuous block of text. However, as will be appreciatedin light of this disclosure, the targeted content selection may span anynumber of intervening section breaks, chapters, or pages.

In the example embodiment, the user is reading some text but the sametechniques can be applied to any type of content, as previouslyexplained. In FIG. 3 a, the user is providing the initial touch point,where the target piece of content is the word ‘The’ at the beginning ofthe third sentence shown. As can be seen in FIG. 3 b, the user has addeda second touch point and the target piece of content is now selected, asindicated with a dashed border in this example case. The selecting mayoccur, for example, after a brief delay (e.g., 1 to 4 seconds) fromapplication of the initial touch point, and/or upon addition of thesecond touch point. As can further be seen in FIG. 3 b, the user hasbegun dragging the first and second touch points, and the selecting isprogressing with the drag gesture.

FIG. 3 c shows the dragging touch points at the end location of thisexample case. As can be seen, the selecting has progressed with the draggesture, where the target piece of content at the end location is theword ‘released’ at the end of the third sentence. As can be further seenin the example scenarios of FIGS. 3 a-c, the initial and dragging touchpoints are provided by the user's fingers. Of course, these touch pointscan be made with other fingers, styluses, or any other implement or bodypart that can provide the requisite impact on the touch sensitivescreen. Other embodiments may not have real-time selecting that moves inunison with the drag gesture. For instance, in some embodiments, thetarget selection between (and including) the initial and end touchpoints is highlighted or otherwise indicated with a dashed box and/orcoloration upon release of the dragging touch points. As previouslyexplained, other selecting schemes may be used as well.

FIG. 3 c′ shows a result similar to FIG. 3 c, except that a pop-up menuis provided automatically upon release of the dragging touch points. Ascan be seen, this optional pop-up menu provides a Selection Action Menuthat includes a number of relevant actions that the user might wish toexecute or otherwise carry out on the selected/highlighted content. Theactions in this example case include Copy, Cut, Paste, and Formatoperations, as well as an Exit to conclude the content selecting mode onthat particular section. Each of these actions was previously explained,and that description is equally applicable here.

FIGS. 4 a-d collectively illustrate an example content selecting modethat can be applied to a touch sensitive display of an electronicdevice, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.In this example case, the targeted content selection spans across threepages. The previous discussion with respect to type of content beingselected, the manner in which touch points are provided, highlightingschemes, optional pop-up menus to facilitate user post-selectionactions, and other such commonalties, is equally applicable here as willbe apparent.

In FIG. 4 a, the user is providing the initial touch point, where theinitial target piece of content is the word ‘Figures’ at the beginningof the first sentence shown on page 21. In FIG. 4 b, the user hasdragged the touch points (two in this example case) and the target pieceof content is now selected, as indicated with a dashed border in thisexample case. In addition, note that the dragging touch points havereached the page break area of the displayed content.

At this point, the content selecting mode is programmed or otherwiseconfigured to convert or otherwise treat the dragging gesture as anappropriate navigation gesture so as to get to the next page of contentso that selecting can continue, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. In the example application depicted in FIG. 4 b,which involves reading text, an appropriate navigation gesture might be,for instance, a page forward gesture (similar to a right-to-left swipe),which is a similar gesture the user might make if turning the page of areal book or hardcopy. In accordance with such an embodiment, the userdoes not have to actually make that navigation gesture; rather, the usercan just hold the drag touch points on the page break area, so that thenext page of content will display to the user for a brief moment (2 to 5seconds) so that the user has time to evaluate the page of content forthe desired end location, or otherwise to move off the page break areaso as to allow the user time to evaluate the page of content for thedesired end location. FIG. 4 c simply shows the next page (page 22 inthis example), as well as the continued holding of the dragging touchpoints at the page break area, thereby causing another navigationgesture, so as to advance to page 23. FIG. 4 d of this exampleembodiment shows the user backing off the page break area (which happensto be the lower right corner in this example embodiment) and stoppingthe dragging touch points at the desired end location, where the targetpiece of content is the word ‘page’ near the bottom of the page. Aspreviously explained, the selecting may be provided in real-time and inunison with the dragging touch points, or upon release of the draggingtouch points. In this example embodiment, the target selection between(and including) the initial touch point on page 21 and the dragging endlocation on page 23 is highlighted or otherwise selected with a dashedbox, as collectively shown in FIGS. 4 a-d.

FIG. 4 e shows an optional Selection Action Pop-up Menu (OSAPM) that canbe provided automatically upon release of the dragging touch points, oneach of the three pages involved in the user's selection, in accordancewith an embodiment. As can be seen with further reference to FIG. 4 e,the user may navigate back and forth while the selection remainsselected, in this example embodiment, which may provide a reading guidefor the user. In one such embodiment, for instance, a teacher may assigna portion of a given digital text book. The teacher or teacher's studentcan thus select that assigned section as described herein so that he/sheknows when to stop reading. To this end, and in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, further note with respect to FIG. 4e that upon release of the dragging touch points, not only is the targetcontent selection highlighted or otherwise selected but a ‘SelectionPage Count’ UI feature (e.g., ‘(1 of 3)’, ‘(2 of 3)’, ‘(3 of 3)’) isalso displayed to the user so as to inform the user of the page numbersassigned to the multi-page content selection as well as how much more ofthe selected content remains from each given page. Once the student hasfinished the reading assignment, the content selecting mode can beexited. Such a content selection/highlighting and page numbering schememay be useful in a number of other scenarios, as will be appreciated inlight of this disclosure. Recall that in some example scenarios, theremay be selections of non-contiguous sections or blocks of content thatwere selected in a sequential and/or random fashion by the user using aninitial touch point(s) that immediately transition or transition after adelay into multiple dragging touch points so as to effectively bookendeach section/block as provided herein. In cases where the transition isimmediate, note that no delay is necessary such that the multipledragging points effectively commence upon touching of the display. Inthis sense, the initial placement and dragging of touch points can beone fluid gesture.

Methodology

FIG. 5 illustrates a method for providing a content selecting mode in anelectronic touch sensitive screen device, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. This example methodology may beimplemented, for instance, by the UI module of the example touch screendevice shown in FIG. 2 a, or the example touch screen device shown inFIG. 2 b (e.g., with the UI provisioned to the client by the server). Tothis end, the UI can be implemented in software, hardware, firmware, orany combination thereof, as will be appreciated in light of thisdisclosure.

As can be seen, the method generally includes sensing a user's input bya touch screen display. As soon as the user begins to swipe, drag orotherwise move a contact point, the UI code (and/or hardware) can assumea drag/move gesture has been engaged and track the path of the contactpoint with respect to any fixed point within the touch screen until theuser stops engaging the touch screen surface. The release point can alsobe captured by the UI as it may be used to commit the action startedwhen the user pressed on the touch sensitive screen. In a similarfashion, if the user releases hold without moving the contact point, atap or press or press-and-hold command may be assumed depending on theamount of time the user was continually pressing on the touch sensitivescreen. These main detections can be used in various ways to implementUI functionality, including a content selecting mode as variouslydescribed herein, as will be appreciated in light of this disclosure.

In this example case, the method includes receiving 501 an initial touchpoint at the touch screen interface. In general, the touch monitoring iseffectively continuous. As previously explained, the initial touch pointmay be provided in any number of ways, such as those discussed withreference to Table 1. The method may continue with some optionalqualification processing, which may be helpful to distinguish one typeof contact from another type. Thus, in this example, the methodcontinues with determining 503 if the content selecting mode isconfigured. As previously explained, the selecting mode may be alwaysenabled and configured from the factory in some embodiments, while otherembodiments may be configured and/or enabled by the user. To this end,the determination at 503 ensures that the content selecting mode is apossible option for the contact just received.

In any case, if the content selecting mode is not enabled or otherwiseavailable for whatever reason, then the method may continue withreviewing 504 the contact for some other UI request (e.g., select afile, send an email, etc). On the other hand, if the content selectingmode is enabled and available, the method continues with determining 505if selectable content is currently being displayed. If not, then it isnot likely that the content selecting mode is desired, so the method mayagain continue with reviewing 504 the contact for some other UI request.However, if selectable content is currently being displayed, then themethod may continue with determining 507 if the initial touch pointindicates some other function is desired. If so (e.g., based onspecificity of contact), then the method may again continue withreviewing 504 the contact for some other UI request.

If the initial touch point doesn't indicate some other function isdesired, then it may be assumed that the content selecting mode isdesired. As will be appreciated, other embodiments may not include thequalification processes at 503, 504, 505, and 507. In this exampleembodiment shown in FIG. 5, the post-qualification method continues withselecting 509 the piece of content associated with the initial touchpoint (e.g., word, image, etc). As previously explained, a centroidingprocess may be executed in real-time to assist in determining theinitial piece of content to select, in accordance with some such exampleembodiments.

The method continues with receiving 511 multiple dragging touch pointson touch screen display. Recall that the initial touch point received at501 may include one or more touch points, and if multiple initial touchpoints are provided, then no delay is required prior to the initialselecting of the initial piece of content, in accordance with anembodiment. In other cases, the initial piece of content is selectedupon application of the multiple dragging touch points, which mayinclude the initial touch point plus one or more additional touchpoints. In one example embodiment, the initial touch point is apress-and-hold that lasts about 1 to 3 seconds before transitioning intoa multiple touch point drag gesture, but longer or otherwise morecomplex touches can be used to uniquely identify the initial touch pointof the mode, if so desired.

The method continues with selecting 513 content from the initial touchpoint through the drag touch points. In some embodiments, this selectingmay occur in unison with movement of the drag touch points, while inother embodiments the selecting occurs upon release of the drag touchpoints. In a more general sense, the selecting can be applied at anypoint after the user selection becomes apparent. The method may furtherinclude optionally determining 515 if the drag touch points have beenreleased, and if so, optionally providing 521 a selection action menu,so as to facilitate the user carrying out a particular action (e.g.,copying, etc).

If on the other hand, the determination at 515 indicates that the dragtouch points have not been released, then the method continues withdetermining 517 if a page break has been encountered. If not, then theselecting 513 from the initial touch point through the drag touch pointscontinues. If on the other hand, the determination at 517 indicates thata page break has been encountered, then the method of this exampleembodiment continues with advancing 519 to the next page of content andselecting that page. The page break determination at 517 is repeated andadvancing 519 to the next page (and selecting that page) continues untilthat determination at 517 is negative. At that point, the selecting 513from the initial touch point through the drag touch points continues.

The method may continue in the touch monitoring mode indefinitely or asotherwise desired, so that any contact provided by the user can beevaluated for use in the content selecting mode if appropriate. Aspreviously indicated, the content selecting mode can be exited by, forexample, the user pressing a release mode UI feature such as the homebutton or a touch screen feature.

Numerous variations and configurations will be apparent in light of thisdisclosure. For example, one example embodiment provides a device thatincludes a touch screen display for displaying content to a user andallowing user input. The device further includes a user interfaceincluding a content selecting mode that can be activated in response touser contact via the touch screen display, the user contact including aninitial touch point targeting a first piece of displayed content andthat transitions into multiple dragging touch points targeting a secondpiece of displayed content, wherein the content selecting mode isconfigured to cause all content between the first and second pieces ofcontent to be selected. In some cases, the content selecting mode isconfigured to treat the multiple dragging touch points as a navigationgesture in response to those dragging touch points encountering a pagebreak in the content. In some cases, the content selecting mode isfurther configured to provide a selection action user interface featureto be displayed to the user, the selection action user interface featurebeing executable on the selected content. In some cases, the first andsecond pieces of content are included in the selected content. In somecases, at least one of the initial touch point and/or the multipledragging touch points are user-configurable with respect to number oftouch points. In some cases, the content selecting mode is furtherconfigured to cause a selection page count to be displayed on eachselected page of the content when multiple pages are selected, theselection page count corresponding to the number of pages included inthe selected content and starting at page one. In some cases, thecontent selecting mode is further configured to cause the first piece ofdisplayed content to be selected after a brief delay from application ofthe initial touch point, or once the multiple dragging touch points areapplied, or once the multiple dragging touch points begin to move. Insome cases, the selected content remains selected until the contentselecting mode is affirmatively terminated. In some cases, the initialtouch point includes a press-and-hold gesture, a diagonal gesture,and/or a circular gesture. In some cases, the initial touch pointincludes multiple touch points, and the number of initial touch pointsis the same as the number of dragging touch points. In some cases, thedevice is an eReader device or a tablet computer or a smartphone, orother mobile computing device.

Another example embodiment of the present invention provides a mobileelectronic device. The device includes a touch screen display fordisplaying content to a user and allowing user input, and a userinterface including a content selecting mode that can be activated inresponse to user contact via the touch screen display, the user contactincluding an initial touch point targeting a first piece of displayedcontent and that transitions into multiple dragging touch pointstargeting a second piece of displayed content, wherein the contentselecting mode is configured to cause all content between the first andsecond pieces of content to be selected, and the selected content maytraverse one or more page breaks. The content selecting mode is furtherconfigured to cause the first piece of displayed content to be selectedafter a brief delay from application of the initial touch point, or oncethe multiple dragging touch points are applied, or once the multipledragging touch points begin to move. In some cases, the contentselecting mode is further configured to provide a selection action userinterface feature to be displayed to the user, the selection action userinterface feature being executable on the selected content. In somecases, at least one of the initial touch point and/or the multipledragging touch points are user-configurable with respect to number oftouch points. In some cases, the content selecting mode is furtherconfigured to cause a selection page count to be displayed on eachselected page of the content when multiple pages are selected, theselection page count corresponding to the number of pages included inthe selected content and starting at page one. In some cases, theinitial touch point includes a press-and-hold gesture, a diagonalgesture, and/or a circular gesture. In other cases, the initial touchpoint is simply the beginning of the multiple dragging touch points.

Another example embodiment of the present invention provides a computerreadable medium encoded with instructions that when executed by one ormore processors, cause a content selecting process to be carried out.The process includes, in response to user contact via a touch sensitivedisplay device, activating a content selecting mode in the device, theuser contact including an initial touch point targeting a first piece ofdisplayed content and that transitions into multiple dragging touchpoints targeting a second piece of displayed content. The processfurther includes selecting all content between the first and secondpieces of content. In some cases, the selected content may traverse oneor more page breaks, and wherein the content selecting process furtherincludes treating the multiple dragging touch points as a navigationgesture in response to those dragging touch points encountering a pagebreak in the content. In some cases, the content selecting processfurther includes causing a selection page count to be displayed on eachselected page of the content when multiple pages are selected, theselection page count corresponding to the number of pages included inthe selected content and starting at page one. In some cases, thecontent selecting process further includes causing the first piece ofdisplayed content to be highlighted after a brief delay from applicationof the initial touch point, or once the multiple dragging touch pointsare applied, or once the multiple dragging touch points begin to move.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthis disclosure. It is intended that the scope of the invention belimited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claimsappended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a touch screen display fordisplaying content to a user and allowing user input; and a userinterface including a content selecting mode configured to activate inresponse to user contact via the touch screen display, the user contactincluding an initial press and hold touch point that transitions intomultiple dragging touch points, the initial press and hold touch pointselecting a first piece of displayed content, and the multiple draggingtouch points continuing the selection by selecting additional displayedcontent and targeting a second piece of displayed content, the multipledragging touch points having a number of touch points different than theinitial press and hold touch point, wherein the content selecting modeis configured to cause content between the first and second pieces ofcontent to be selected only after the press and hold touch pointtransitions into the multiple dragging touch points, the second piece ofcontent corresponding to a location of the multiple dragging touchpoints, and wherein the selected content remains selected after releaseof the multiple dragging touch points.
 2. The device of claim 1 whereinthe content selecting mode is configured to treat the multiple draggingtouch points as a navigation gesture in response to those dragging touchpoints encountering a page break in the content.
 3. The device of claim1 wherein the content selecting mode is further configured to provide aselection action user interface feature to be displayed to the user, theselection action user interface feature being executable on the selectedcontent.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein the first and second pieces ofcontent are included in the selected content.
 5. The device of claim 1wherein at least one of the initial press and hold touch point and/orthe multiple dragging touch points are user-configurable with respect tonumber of touch points.
 6. The device of claim 1 wherein the contentselecting mode is further configured to cause a selection page count tobe displayed on each selected page of the content when multiple pagesare selected, the selection page count corresponding to the number ofpages included in the selected content and starting at page one.
 7. Thedevice of claim 1 wherein the content selecting mode is furtherconfigured to cause the selected first piece of displayed content to behighlighted after a user-configurable delay from application of theinitial touch point.
 8. The device of claim 1 wherein the selectedcontent remains selected until the content selecting mode isaffirmatively terminated.
 9. The device of claim 1 wherein the initialtouch point includes multiple dragging touch points so as to provide amulti-touch cluster, and the content selecting mode is furtherconfigured to identify a centroid of the multi-touch cluster, and thepiece of content closest to that centroid is initially selected.
 10. Thedevice of claim 9 wherein the first piece of displayed content can bechanged in response to a mini-drag of the multi-touch cluster, and theinitial touch point placement is finalized only after the press and holdtouch point transitions into the multiple dragging touch points.
 11. Thedevice of claim 1 wherein the device is an eReader device or a tabletcomputer or a smartphone.
 12. A mobile electronic device, comprising: atouch screen display for displaying content to a user and allowing userinput; and a user interface including a content selecting mode that canbe activated in response to user contact via the touch screen display,the user contact including an initial touch point selecting a firstpiece of displayed content on a first page and that transitions intomultiple dragging touch points targeting a second piece of displayedcontent on a second page, wherein the content selecting mode isconfigured to treat the multiple dragging touch points as a navigationgesture in response to those multiple dragging touch points encounteringa page break in the content of the first page and, to cause contentbetween the first and second pieces of content to be selected only afterthe press and hold touch point transitions into the multiple draggingtouch points, the second piece of content corresponding to a location ofthe multiple dragging touch points.
 13. The device of claim 12 whereinthe content selecting mode is further configured to provide a selectionaction user interface feature to be displayed to the user, the selectionaction user interface feature being executable on the selected content.14. The device of claim 12 wherein at least one of the initial touchpoint and/or the multiple dragging touch points are user-configurablewith respect to number of touch points.
 15. The device of claim 12wherein the content selecting mode is further configured to cause aselection page count to be displayed on each selected page of thecontent when multiple pages are selected, the selection page countcorresponding to the number of pages included in the selected contentand starting at page one.
 16. The device of claim 12 wherein the initialtouch point includes a press-and-hold gesture, a diagonal gesture,and/or a circular gesture.
 17. A non-transitory computer readable mediumencoded with instructions that when executed by one or more processors,cause a content selecting process to be carried out, the processcomprising: in response to user contact via a touch sensitive displaydevice, activating a content selecting mode in the device, the usercontact including an initial press and hold touch point selecting afirst piece of displayed content and that transitions into multipledragging touch points targeting a second piece of displayed content, themultiple dragging touch points having a number of touch points differentthan the initial press and hold touch point; and continuing selection ofcontent by selecting additional displayed content between the first andsecond pieces of content only after the press and hold touch pointtransitions into the multiple dragging touch points, the second piece ofcontent corresponding to a location of the multiple dragging touchpoints, wherein the selected content remains selected after release ofthe multiple dragging touch points.
 18. The computer readable medium ofclaim 17 wherein the selected content may traverse one or more pagebreaks, and wherein the content selecting process further includestreating the multiple dragging touch points as a navigation gesture inresponse to those dragging touch points encountering a page break in thecontent.
 19. The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein thecontent selecting process further includes causing a selection pagecount to be displayed on each selected page of the content when multiplepages are selected, the selection page count corresponding to the numberof pages included in the selected content and starting at page one. 20.The computer readable medium of claim 17 wherein the content selectingprocess further includes causing the selected first piece of displayedcontent to be highlighted after a user-configurable delay fromapplication of the initial touch point.